Jessica Ketchum: The Pokemon Ranger
by samfriz45
Summary: Ash's little sister Jessica is heading out to Almia to study as a Pokemon Ranger. She's determined not to fail and to become one of the best Ranger's of all time... but there's a twist: Gary Oak. Follows the DS Game, but major twists!
1. Introduction

Prologue

My name is Jessica Ketchum. But everyone calls me Jess. Oh and Ketchum? Yeah, Ash Ketchum. He's my brother. My famous brother... who means everything to me. And I miss him... a lot.

-

Today is a very important and life-altering day in my life.

I'm leaving the beautiful Kanto region for the isolated Almia region. I've finally discovered my real destiny: become a Pokemon Ranger.

So now I find myself packing up all of my personal belongings. I leave in just a mere few hours. I'm leaving home.

Before I found my "calling" in life, I was a Pokemon Trainer, like Ash. I did everything Ash did. I even beat the Elite Four. But, something didn't feel right about being a Trainer...

While Ash and his friends continued on to the Hoenn and the Johto region, I returned back home to Pallet Town with Mom.

To pass the time I got a job at Professor Oak's laboratory. That's where I met his grandson and Ash's rival, Gary Oak.

Gary began to work in the lab too when Ash was competing in the Orange Islands. At first he seemed to despise my brother, always bragging how much better he was... but then he changed. Somehow we grew closer. He became my best friend and he told me how he and Ash had been best friends when they were little. How they saw movies together and how when fishing they had found an empty Pokeball and they had torn it in half. They both still had their halves... Weird memories like that.

But then Gary went off to Johto and I was alone yet again. I did a little traveling around Kanto and I befriended several different Pokemon. I raised my Squirtle and Charmander into a Blastoise and a Charizard. I caught Mylotic... so many different Pokemon...

When Gary decided to become a Pokemon researcher I was so sure he'd come back to Pallet Town and we could work together. But, he went to an island called Sayda and he did his work there. He came back several times and sure enough, we were dating only weeks later...

But then another change: Gary moved to Sinnoh and I haven't heard from him at all. He has only sent me one letter and it told me all about being a Pokemon Ranger... funny huh...

"Jessica! You have a visitor," Mom called. I heaved my two large suitcase off my double bed and lugged them down the wooden stairs. At the base of the stairs was Mom and Professor Oak. His gray hair was combed nicely and his white lab coat had been freshly ironed.

"Professor Oak!" I greeted him. I dropped my luggage and ran forward to give him a hug. Professor Oak was like family to me.

Professor Oak chuckled lightly. "Hello Jess."

Mom led the way into the kitchen where the smell of a warm vegetable soup filled the room. Sure enough, a giant black pot of soup was sitting on the wooden table. Mr. Mime was cleaning up the kitchen. The three of us sat down and began to eat the soup.

"So I guess Gary couldn't come," I asked Professor Oak. Apparently, Gary had called Professor Oak and had promised to come to pay a visit.

Professor Oak laid down his spoon. "I'm sorry Jess," he said softly.

I sighed in frustration. "No, it's not your fault Professor Oak. I just wish that Gary would keep his promises."

Even though Gary was my boyfriend, he was also my best friend. And a best friend is always there for you... unless his name is Gary Oak.

-

We finished dinner and Mr. Mime cleared the table. Professor Oak stood and cleared his throat. Mom's blue eyes were filled with tears.

"I guess you better get going if you want to get there in time," Mom finally said. I nodded, tears forming my own blue eyes.

"Uncle Fred will be waiting for you in Cerulean," Mom began. "The ferry will then leave for Almia... Uncle Fred will be sure Mylotic gets back in one piece."

"Thanks Mom," I hugged her. I then turned to Professor Oak.

"Good luck finding a new lab assistant," I finally told him. I chuckled for a moment after I spoke. A smile broke across his face.

"Yes, I fear no one will be able to replace you, Jess."

I nodded again. "Try and keep it organized," I muttered. But, we both knew it would all be in a disarray by tomorrow, or the day after that if he was lucky. Professor Oak is definitely _not _an organized individual.

Now he chuckled. "Be safe, Jess."

"I will."

And then --before I knew it-- I was out the door and riding my Mylotic... I was heading off to my new life.


	2. Arriving at School

**~Arriving at School~**

The ferry dropped me off at a small dock that was apparently on the grounds of the school. The man who owned the ship was named Captain Harold. Harold had dropped out of the Ranger School to become a captain.

"So many memories here, missy," he reminisced. Harold was now leading me toward the school. "This place here is called Ascension Square."

I nodded. It was a fairly large meadow and a giant statue stood in the northern half of the meadow. I also spotted stone steps in the far end. "What's that?" I asked, pointing to the stature.

"Ah, that's the Pledge Stone. Tradition is that friends come here and they pledge to each other --and the stone-- that they will will follow their dreams and make them a reality.

I became curious. "So did you pledge to the, um... Pledge Stone?" I asked.

Harold, who was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, patted his rotund stomach. "Sure I did!" he exclaimed.

"And it came true?" I prodded.

Harold laughed in disbelief. "Heck no! I wanted to be a Top Ranger!"

"Oh... sorry, Harold," I apologized.

I continued pulling my suitcases across the field. We reached the steps and Harold grabbed one of them. We were about half way up the stone steps. Harold was breathing hard, I guess he wasn't in good shape. But, he spoke. "Don't worry about it, missy. This is my real dream," he told me.

I mentally scratched my head. "How do you know what your true dream is?" I asked.

Harold wheezed, I guess it was supposed to be a laugh. "You don't missy. If you enjoy what you do, you have to believe that it's the right thing."

"And if you don't believe it?" I asked.

He wheezed again. "Don't ask me, missy. I'm no fortune teller."

We now had reached the top of the steps. I spotted the giant, beautiful school. It was at least four stories. A giant bell tower sat on top of the brick school. It rang moments later.

"Do you know what that means?" I asked Harold.

Harold looked down to his watch. "Well, it's seven, so it's time for breakfast. You better hurry if you want to be on time."

"Where should I go?" I asked Harold.

I half expected him to point to the beautiful red doors of the school, but instead he motioned to a small building next to the school. "There. Mr. Kaplan, he'll be there... Be careful around him."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Harold laughed again. "You'll have to find out for yourself, missy. Now I must be off. I'll make sure your luggage is properly taken care of."

"Uh... thanks..." I finally managed to say as he walked toward the school.

I found myself shrugging off Harold's "words of wisdom". I'd learned to trust your instincts and follow your heart. My instincts told me Harold over exaggerating. My heart told me that I was prepared for everything.

So I walked across the freshly moved grass. It's fresh and cozy smell entered my nose and I breathed deeply, enjoying the familiar scent. As I walked across the school's lawn I spotted several familiar faces: Pokemon, that is.

I saw three small Charmander's playing tag in the corner. They seemed shy because when the spotted me they quickly moved away. Several Budew and Pichu were playing hide-in-seek. I even saw a Bonsley hiding beside a tree.

By now I had reached the small buildings entrance. I opened the door and inside it was a man dressed in blue. He sat on a wooden desk in the back of the room. A blue object was held in his hand. A Pickachu was sitting at his feet.

"Ah, missy Ketchum," he mused as he looked at me. I couldn't get a good look at his face because it was hidden beneath his blue hat. He rose from his seat.

"Take this School Styler and catch this Pickachu," he said simply. He walked toward me. His feet echoed through the room with each step he took. When he reached me I noticed a coy smile plastered upon his face. I still couldn't see his face clearly.

I looked down at his hand, it was holding a blue Styler. I cautiously picked it up. The man walked away. When he returned to his seat, the Pickachu sprang foward. I powered the Styler on and prepared for the capture.

From the start of the capture I knew my Styler was not very powerful. I quickly dodged the Pickachu's attacks and only moments after I began, it ended. I won the capture. The Pickachu ran toward me and kissed my face. It reminded me of Ash's Pickachu... and Ash.

"My name is Mr. Kaplan," the man said mysteriously. "Welcome to the invinsible Team School. You are now part of an elite organization that plans to take over the world!" he exclaimed.

I stared at him in shock. "Uh..." I managed to utter.

"Mr. Kaplan!" a woman's voice scolded harshly.

I turned around to spot a woman with long brown hair walking into the room. She wore a green v-neck sweater and a cream colored pencil skirt. She marched past me and up to Mr. Kaplan.

"Please, don't scare the students!" she pleaded with him.

"Sorry," Mr. Kaplan muttered.

"Not to me!" the woman hissed.

Mr. Kaplan turned to me. "Sorry, Miss Ketchum, my apologies," he apologized.

The woman scowled at him. She then turned to me and the scowl was wiped off her face and was replaced with a charming smile. "My name is Ms. April. I'll be your teacher during your stay here at the Ranger School. You must be Jessica Ketchum."

I shook her small hand. "Jess," I corrected her.

Ms. April nodded. "Jess... I'll be sure to remember that," she assured me. "This here is Mr. Kaplan. He's here at the school to help you work on your technique if you are having difficulties."

"Remidal learning," Mr. Kaplan amended.

Ms. April frowned. "We do not refer to it as _that_, Mr. Kaplan."

Mr. Kaplan didn't bother apologizing. He shrugged and walked away. His face was still hidden beneath his blue cap. Ms. April slowly led me out of the room. The Pickachu bonded happily toward Mr. Kaplan. I slid the School Styler into my pocket.

"You're the first student to come all the way from Kanto," Ms. April told me as we walked out of the building and toward the school. "You're also the first to only sign up for a year's worth of school... and then you join with only four months to graduate! You're very far behind. Are you interested in a year extension?" Ms. April asked.

I shook my head. "I'm a fast learner," I explained. "I'm sure I can catch up."

"Yes, that capture sure was impressive. You have excellent technique. I doubt you'll have to go visit Mr. Kaplan very often," she joked.

I chuckled. We then entered through the impressive red doors and made a left. We headed through a wooden door and into a classroom. A half a dozen students were already inside and they all turned around to stare at me.

"Good morning," Ms. April greeted everyone. "This is Jessica, I mean Jess. She'll be joining our class for the remainder of the year. Please welcome her." She then turned to me. "Take a seat beside Keith, please."

Ms. April motioned to a desk that was beside a boy with spiky brown hair and stunning blue eyes. He was incredibly cute... but he held an extremly confident-- almost arrogant-- look on his face. I walked toward him and took my seat which was on the aisle. On the other side of the aisle was a girl with big blond curls. She smiled at me.

"I'm Rhythmi," she introduced herself. Ms. April walked up the aisle and stood in front of her desk. She began teaching. I pulled out my notebook from my backpack and began taking notes.

Hello Ranger School!

**Okay guys: for the next chapter to be posted I need at least five reviews. No reviews: no story. Sorry... **


	3. Friends

**~Friends...~**

The final bell rang and everyone happily stood up from their desks. I slid my notebook into my backpack and then began toward Ms. April, but the blond haired girl who introduced herself as Rhythmi, stopped me.

"Hi, in case you didn't hear-" she began.

"You're Rhythmi," interrupted her.

She chuckled briefly. "Okay, I guess you _did_ hear," she replied.

I stuck my hand out to meet hers.

"I'm-" I began to introduce myself.

"Jess," she replied.

"...Yeah, that's me," I chuckled.

We shook hands and laughed a final time. Everyone in the room had gathered around us. I noticed that Ms. April had taken a seat at her desk and was correcting papers.

"Alright Jess. Let me introduce everyone to you," Rhythmi told me. "This is Alec, Kayla, Tom, Sean, and Keith," she introduced everyone.

"So new kid apparently you did really well on your entrance exam. I doubt it though. Teachers are always sugarcoating things, these days," Keith said.

I glared at him. "And how exactly do you know how well I did?" I asked him.

Keith shrugged, not seeming to care. "I have my ways, new kid."

I nodded, still unsure of these arrogant boy. "I'm sure you do..." I replied still glaring at him.

Rhythmi sighed. "Keith, can you please try to welcome Jess! I'm sure she's nervous! She came all the way from Kanto!"

Keith snorted. "So? She has to prove herself."

Rhythmi grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from all the kids. I gladly followed. I was beginning to dislike this boy, Keith. After we exited the classroom, Rhythmi continued to drag me along. We made a quick left and then an immediate right. We walked down a long hallway where a Bidoof was sleeping in a corner. It snored loudly.

At the end of the hallway I spotted a staircase that led down into the basement of the school (I presumed) and another flight that led up, most likely to more classrooms or our dorms.

Then, an elderly man appeared at the end of the hallway. He was dressed in a brown suit and he had balding gray hair. He also wore glasses. Rhythmi stopped pulling me the moment she spotted him.

The man continued down the hallway and his face lit up when he spotted the two of us.

"Hello, Rhythmi. Is this our new student?" he asked kindly.

"Um... hello Principal Lamont. Uh, yeah this is Jess."

"Ah yes," Principal Lamont replied. "Yes... Jessica Ketchum, correct?" he asked me.

"Uh, yeah... that's me."

I looked at Rhythmi who gave me a strange look. I ignored it though. Instead I looked back to Principal Lamont. "Well, I'm glad you finally made it. Good luck with your studies." The principal then walked away without another word.

I half-expected Rhythmi to start pulling me again, so when she didn't I looked over at her. She was staring at me. "Ketchum? Like... _Ash _Ketchum?"

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"You're related to Ash Ketchum?" Rhythmi shrieked.

"Wait, hold on... you know who Ash Ketchum is?" I asked in disbelief.

Rhythmi choked. "Duh! Don't you read Pokemon Weekly?" she asked.

Just to prove her point, Rhythmi reached into her backpack and pulled out a magazine and sure enough some famous Pokemon Trainer was plastered on the cover. Thinking back, I had heard of the magazine and had been interviewed after I'd beaten the Elite Four, but they did their story on a Gym Leader's daughter instead.

"Uh... so yeah... he's my brother... so what?" I replied.

Rhythmi dropped her magazine. Her jaw almost hit the floor. She scrambled to pick the magazine. When she got up she grabbed my hand and then pulled me up the stairs. We made a left and then she barged into a room.

The room was entirely pink. The carpet, the curtains, the sheets... everything. There were four bunk beds-- 8 beds each -- all positioned in a corner of the room. Rhythmi pulled me over to the bunk bed that was to the immediate left.

"Do you promise to tell the truth?" Rhythmi breathed. Her fingernails dug into my skin and flinched, but I didn't pull away. Rhythmi reminded me of a small child who wanted to have their lolly pop or chocolate pudding. I forced back the urge to laugh.

"Uh, yeah Rhythmi," I replied.

I knew where this was going. "You are the sister of the legendary Ash Ketchum?" Rhythmi finally asked again after a deep breath.

"Actually, he should be honored to be my brother," I joked.

But, Rhythmi didn't get the joke. She just squealed again. "Ohmigod! This is so cool!"

I sighed. "Promise not to tell anyone?" I asked.

Rhythmi's smile disappeared. "No one?" she repeated.

I nodded slowly. "_No one_," I clarified.

Rhythmi pouted. "But..." she complained, "What about my family? And Keith... you could get revenge..."

"Revenge?" I asked in disbelief. "I don't think I'd get revenge because of my brother. I need to prove myself, Rhythmi."

Rhythmi released her grip on my arm. I stood up and straightened out my school uniform. I finally noticed two bags of luggage sitting by the door. They were both mine. I walked over to them. I guess Harold had done a good job about delivering my luggage.

"The only empty bunk is the upper bunk on my bed," Rhythmi told me.

Now what were the chances of that? I then turned back around and slowly pulled my suitcases over to my bed. I sat on the floor and opened the suitcase. On the top of the first suitcase was a photograph. I reached down to pick it up, but Rhythmi snatched it away first.

Her eyes got really wide and her mouth formed into the perfect 'O'. I bit my lip nervously as she gasped in shock. Finally, the anticipation got the better of me and I blurted out. "Well what is it?"

"Is... Is this...who I think it is?" she hestitantly asked.

And at that moment I knew who it was.


	4. The Story

**Guys, it's been almost 3 months since I last updated… WOW!!! I'm so sorry and thank you so much to anyone who came back and read it. This will be a good one, I promise.**

The picture was of Gary.

I knew it was only a matter of time until _someone _found out. Who and when? Details. But, I honestly didn't believe _anyone_ would have discovered my secret so early.

"Is this Gary Oak?" Rhythmi asked. She looked at me in a distrusting way. I shrunk away from the gaze.

"So what if it is?" I replied quickly, my voice cracking as I spoke to her.

"How do you know him? You're related to Ash Ketchum? How come I've never heard of Ash having a sister? You know Gary Oak? How do you know him? Are you friends? Are you enemies? What is going on?" she screamed her questions at me.

I involuntarily moved away from her. She was now standing, her wavy blond hair in her eyes as she panted heavily. She was getting worked up over nothing, I thought. She really needed a chill-pill… _now_.

I guess I was in shock for too long because Rhythmi grunted impatiently. "Well, are you _ever_ going to answer _any_ of my questions?" she spat harshly at me.

I cringed away from her—again—but decided I should tell her. Somehow, I trusted her. I trusted this new girl I had only known for an hour or two. I can't explain it.

"Help me up," I muttered to her as I tried to gather my thoughts together. A smile appeared on her pretty face. I was getting at little worried about her mood swings, but I brushed the thought aside as she pulled me back toward the bottom bunk. She handed me the picture that had caused her outburst.

I instantly remembered the picture the moment I saw it. I closed my eyes and thought back to that day three months ago. It seemed so much longer than three months though… The picture was of me and Gary. His brown hair was gelled into its usual style and he wore his white lab coat over a favorite black T-shirt. His black jeans were too short on him, but he didn't care. I was behind him, my arms around his neck, smiling at the camera. My brown hair was still wet from a shower I had just taken. I wore a white T-shirt with an aquamarine colored jacket. My white Capri's had sand on them.

We were on the research island where Gary worked. Sayda Island, I believe it was called. It was one of the best days of my life…

"So?" Rhythmi asked when she decided I had looked at the picture long enough. "How do you know him? I want all the details."

I put the picture down on the bed and leaned back against the pink pillow. I closed my eyes again and tried to remember how I had met Gary.

"I'd seen Gary around Pallet Town a lot when I was growing up, but I didn't actually know him. He and Ash went off with their Pokemon when they both turned ten. I was nine. They were gone about eight months, maybe more... When Ash went off to the Orange Islands, Gary returned home to visit his grandfather, Professor Oak. I had been working for Oak a few weeks after Ash left home.

"Gary had taken a particular interest in research, but he still loved being a Trainer. So, he decided he spend the summer working for Oak, while training his up-and-coming Pokemon. I originally hated him because Ash did, but I guess I realized he wasn't all that bad. He and I developed a friendship. He was my best friend/"

I stopped talking. I leaned back up, but Rhythmi pushed me back down. "And?"

I frowned. "'And' what?"

"Hello! What else happened after the summer? Jess, you need to finish the story!" she told me.

I sighed, but reluctantly agreed. I readjusted myself until I was comfortable then continued where I had left off.

"Months passed and Gary left for the Johto region with Ash. He returned about a year later with news that being a Pokémon Trainer wasn't his dream anymore. He wanted to go into research; follow in his grandfather's footsteps. He stayed for two weeks… and in those two weeks… we started going out."

I was silent for a few moments. I didn't know what else to say. It had all been so sudden. Rhythmi hummed softly to herself. "Thanks Jess… you know, I have a feeling we're going to be very good friends."

She had no idea….


	5. Internship Day Part 1

The weeks passed by rather quickly and I found myself in the library more often than not, trying to catch up. Surprisingly though, I was actually _enjoying_ studying.

Weird, I know.

I guess part of it was Isaac. He was a great tutor and an even better friend.

Isaac was the school's local geek and usually kept to himself. He did have one friend, the school failure, Ponte. Isaac had short blond hair, was of average height and had large hazel eyes. While he didn't have many friends (probably because he spent most of his time in the library), he wasn't the quiet, geeky type.

Well, sure, he was a _bit_ geeky. He definitely would prefer to spend a night in a lab than at a big party.

But, anyway, I found a true friendship in him.

"Well, I guess that's enough for tonight," I said as I closed the large, green book and placed it neatly on top of the other textbooks I had on the table

Isaac nodded shortly and ran his pale hand through his thick blond hair. "Yeah. You've definitely caught up—maybe even surpassed what you're learning in class."

I hesitated, my heart skipping a beat. "That doesn't mean we're stopping now, does it?" I asked cautiously.

Isaac smiled nicely. "No way, Jess. But, how about we skip tomorrow? Mr. Kincaid has something he wants me to do," Isaac replied.

I frowned. "What does Mr. Kincaid want you to do?"

Isaac shrugged indifferently. "No idea. I think it has something to do with a new program he's trying to develop."

I nodded, somewhat intrigued. "Oh, cool. I didn't know he could actually stand students."

Isaac chuckled. "He's actually not that bad of a guy."

I smiled weakly. "Sure, Isaac," I replied sarcastically

"Well, good night Jess."

"'Night Isaac."

As I left the library, my books in my arms, I spotted Keith walking in from outside. He spotted me and called out happily.

"Hey Jess! Wait up!" he called as he jogged down the wide corridor.

A few weeks ago, I would have groaned and walked away, but today I didn't. Keith wasn't that bad of a guy—annoying, sure, but tolerable.

"Hey, you done studying?" he asked breathlessly as he caught up.

I nodded. "Yeah. Why were you outside?" I asked.

Keith shrugged and took a moment to catch breath. "I just went out for a quick jog," he answered coolly. "You know, want to get in shape."

"Well, good luck. I have to get to bed though. It's been a long day."

I then turned and headed up the wooden steps that led up to the dormitories, Keith was quick on my heel. Upstairs, dinner had just ended and Rhythmi waved me over. Her wavy blond hair was pulled back into a messy bun.

"Don't tell me you were studying again!" Rhythmi groaned as Keith and I joined her.

"Sorry Rhythmi," I chuckled. "But, hey, tomorrow I'm free."

Rhythmi's face lit up. "Good! You know what tomorrow is, right?"

I frowned, racking my mind for information. I eventually gave up. "Um, no."

This time, it was an anxious Keith who answered. "It's Internship Day. It's the highlight of the school year," he added eagerly.

I mentally slapped myself. I had been so consumed with studying that I had completely forgotten about this important, fun day. "Right… But, how long does this Internship thing take?"

"Well, you leave early in the morning and you finish around seven, but no one ever comes back immediately," Rhythmi answered.

"Why?" I asked.

Keith chortled. "You're off campus; you can do whatever you want."

"Oh."

And at the moment I felt so stupid. Why couldn't I figure _that_ out? Oh well, it doesn't matter. Tomorrow is going to be a great day. I couldn't wait. Where would I go? Would it be dangerous? Would I meet any cool people? Like I said, I couldn't wait...

_The following morning…_

I awoke to the voice of Ashley Thompson dropping a bag on her toe and her yelp of surprise and pain. I moaned as I rolled over and shoved my head under my pillow, trying to block out any other interruptions.

"Jess, Jess! Wake up! _Wake up!_" Rhythmi called out anxiously.

"I'm up," I replied weakly as I realized I couldn't go back to sleep.

I heard Rhythmi chuckle. "You missed breakfast, Jess. If you're not ready in ten minutes you're going to miss Internship Day."

I shot out of bed and glanced out the window. The sun was shining brightly over the land. I _had _overslept. Damn. I always overslept on the important days…

I then changed into my uniform in record time and dashed out into the common room. Rhythmi was gone as was ninety-five percent of the student population. The only remaining people were students on the fail list, or in detention and weren't allowed to go. I thanked the heavens that I wasn't one of them. I took a deep breath and continued on down the steps. I ran into Ms. April's room and to my surprise, Keith was there too.

"…Vientown with Jess. Where is Jess, Keith?" Ms. April was telling Keith.

"Sorry, I'm late Ms. April! I overslept!" I apologized as I jogged up to Ms. April and a tired-looking Keith.

"Oh there you are Jess! I was getting a bit worried. Well, as I was telling Keith, you're going to nearby Vientown for your Internship Day. Here is your Capture Styler—don't lose it."

"I won't! I promise," I quickly replied, taking the small, red Styler from her hand.

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